Stunned as he was, Pei Ze was actually quite satisfied.

After all, a larger Spirit Crystal meant greater potential.

Besides, a large Spirit Crystal only made it harder for him to break through to the next stage. His actual Spiritual Power level wouldn’t be any weaker than other Wizards’.

As the progression of Spiritual Power at each stage corresponded to the number of facets on the Spirit Crystal, his own Spiritual Power ceiling in the gasification stage was already approaching that of other Wizards in their crystallization stage.

’The Spirit Crystal is the core of a Wizard’s power.’

’Therefore, the number of facets on the crystal largely determines a Wizard’s strength and potential for growth.’

After his promotion to a Wizard, Pei Ze could clearly feel that many parts of himself had changed dramatically.

First, his affinity for Energy Particles had skyrocketed.

The number of Energy Particles he could mobilize at any given moment had multiplied several times over, and his precision in controlling them had also improved significantly.

The power of simply manipulating Energy Particles now matched the power of the Elemental Runes he used as an apprentice.

This improvement, in turn, would also significantly boost the power of his Magic, Elemental Runes, and magical tattoos.

Pei Ze tried casting a few spells.

Despite being just Zero-Circle Magic, their power surpassed that of the One-Ring Spells he had cast as an apprentice.

Second, after the qualitative transformation of his Spiritual Power, a Wizard could project it outward, shrouding their body in a Mental Force Field.

This Mental Force Field didn’t interfere with a Wizard’s daily life, but it would automatically resist damage when attacked. It was like having a layer of protection active 24/7.

This was the main reason why it was so difficult to assassinate a Wizard with a sneak attack.

In addition, the Mental Force Field also blocked detection.

Most detection spells were unable to penetrate a Mental Force Field.

’I wonder if the Eye of Omniscience’s detection can penetrate a Mental Force Field?’

The sudden thought struck Pei Ze, and he decided to find a chance to test it out someday.

The final and most important point was Magic Engraving.

A spell could be engraved onto each facet of a Wizard’s Spirit Crystal.

When a Wizard cast an engraved spell, not only was its power significantly enhanced, but the consumption of Spiritual Power was also drastically reduced.

It was precisely for this reason that a Wizard’s combat endurance far surpassed that of an apprentice, earning them the moniker of "walking magical turrets."

This was also why a greater number of Will Runes translated to higher potential after becoming a Wizard.

A higher Spiritual Power ceiling was one reason, but another was that more facets on the condensed Spirit Crystal meant more spells could be engraved.

Take Pei Ze, for instance. With a full thirty-two facets, his Spiritual Power ceiling was not only far beyond that of an ordinary Wizard, but the number of spells he could engrave was also more than double that of others.

Currently, all thirty-two of his facets were still vacant.

Looking at the dense array of facets, Pei Ze knew he would have to dedicate more time to learning spells.

’Compared to a Wizard Apprentice, a Wizard is on a completely different level of power.’

’There’s simply no comparison between the two.’

Pei Ze finally understood why Wizards regarded apprentices as nothing more than ants.

For a Wizard, even one who had just been promoted, killing a Wizard Apprentice like Gong Xinghe would be no more difficult than crushing an ant.

They were fundamentally beings on different levels of existence.

After a moment of reflection, Pei Ze began to consider his next steps.

A Wizard’s advancement was, in essence, a continuous process of accumulating and refining Spiritual Power.

For example, during the gasification stage, one had to continuously accumulate Spiritual Power until it completely filled the crystal. Only when it could hold no more could one begin refining the Spiritual Power, condensing it until it liquefied.

The process was the same for advancing from the liquid stage to the crystallization stage.

Once the Spirit Crystal was fully crystallized, one could begin to form a second Spirit Crystal and repeat the entire process of accumulation and refinement.

’The question is how to accumulate and refine my Spiritual Power.’

A thoughtful expression crossed Pei Ze’s face.

According to the Wizard’s Handbook, the effects of Meditation were negligible after one became a Wizard.

Without any external aid, a Wizard relying purely on Meditation would need at least ten to twenty years to break through to the Level 1 Liquid Stage.

Therefore, extraordinary items or potions that could increase and refine Spiritual Power were essential for any Wizard.

’No wonder Wizards are always running off to the Plane Battlefield.’

Pei Ze sighed softly.

Without sufficient resources, it was incredibly difficult for a Wizard to advance.

Of course, this wasn’t the case for all Wizards.

Wizards who had inherited the bloodlines of ancient creatures were the exception.

They possessed an exclusive Bloodline Activation Technique, allowing them to use special methods to continuously stimulate their bloodline and rapidly increase their strength.

Their power growth would only slow down once their bloodline was fully awakened.

Until then, they were in a period of rapid advancement.

Therefore, among Crystal Wizards, those from Bloodline Clans tended to increase their power far more quickly than ordinary Wizards.

’But while the advantages are obvious, the disadvantages are just as clear.’

’Once their bloodline is fully awakened, they lose that source of power. The power growth of these Wizards from Bloodline Clans will stagnate, and they will find it even harder to advance than an ordinary Wizard. I suppose it’s a trade-off.’

Pei Ze didn’t envy their advantages.

If his ultimate goal were merely to become a first or Second-level Wizard, he might have coveted the power of a bloodline.

But his goals were far loftier; even becoming a Crystal Wizard was nowhere near his final destination.

He was looking much further down the road, so naturally, he wasn’t concerned with short-term advantages.